The most recent report received by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment from the Mount St. John’s Medical Center (MSJMC) has revealed no new laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases in Antigua and Barbuda as of Wednesday 21st October 2020 at 6pm.
Subsequent to the publication of the dashboard on Wednesday 21st October 2020 with the cut off time of 6pm, ten samples were processed at the Mount St. John’s Medical Center’s Laboratory which increased the pending results from zero to ten.
All ten samples processed by MSJMC yielded negative results and are reflected in the total samples taken and total tested columns of the dashboard.
Consequently, the total number of persons with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases in Antigua and Barbuda remains at one hundred and twenty-two (122) with twelve (12) active cases.
Meanwhile, eighty-three samples were sent to CARPHA earlier today.
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Are the sample testing that is always negative from MSJMC part of the positive results that come back from CARPHA? It is so coincidental that MSJMC results are always negative.
Response from Dr. Lester Simon, Oct 14:
WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS SO NEGATIVE?
Some people are asking why all the Covid-19 results from the hospital lab are negative and all the positive results are coming only from CARPHA.
There are valid, rational reasons for this fact. It is truly commendable that some people have made this observation and have voiced their concern.
There are three reasons for this difference. Here they are, in increasing order of relevance.
1. There are few cases of Covid-19 in Antigua and Barbuda.
2. The demographics of the clients tested at the two labs are remarkedly different. At the hospital lab, we test mostly travelers leaving Antigua and Barbuda. We also test patients who are having elective surgery. In contract, most of the samples sent to CARPHA, our reference lab in Trinidad, derive from clients discovered from contact tracing of people who are Covid-19 positive. Also sent to CARPHA, disproportionately, are travelers arriving in Antigua and Barbuda with the wrong Covid-19 test, or with no Covid-19 test at all.
3. CARPHA is the reference lab for many of its 26 member states of the Caribbean. There are obligations that we must keep regarding Covid-19 testing, including what per cent of samples are sent to CARPHA. The stipulations are as follows:
(a) The first 3 months: We send 100 % of our positive samples and 10 % of our negative samples.
(b) Months 4 to 6: We send 75 % of our positive samples and 5 % of our negative samples.
(c) Months 7 to 12: We send 50 % of our positive samples and 1 % of our negative samples.
(d) After 1 year: We send 10 % of our positives samples and 1 % of our negative samples.
So, there it is. No tricks. No mystery. Plain, unadulterated, rational reasons.
We started reporting Covid-19 results at the hospital lab on June 26, 2020. Our first 3-month period was up on September 25, 2020. We extended our 3-month period by two weeks because we had an exit of 2 of our covid-19 PCR workers and an entry of 2 new PCR workers, with the attendant demand of training the new workers.
We officially started reporting positive covid-19 samples from the hospital lab directly this very week of October 12, 2020.
As noted, we are aware we are being observed. It is our business to serve you and our obligation to respond to your concerns, questions and comments.
We will report positive covid-19 results. We just hope that we don’t have any to report, or at worse, very few.
Ten man ,my problem is we need to find a way to test visiting tourist also. We are relying on them to present a negative PCR test at the airport,that doesn’t negate the fact these people can’t be positive . Remember the locals have to interact with them on the job them go home to their families. Dominica just this week tested three patients that had negative PCR test only to retest them and found out they are positive. For us to really control this virus from a community spread ,testing is the key.
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